‘Winning a Masters Award helps build profile and boost morale,’ says CEO

Winners of the 2017 Business Masters Awards have urged Yorkshire firms to get their entries in before this year’s deadline of Friday February 2.

Southerns were named the winners of Medium Business category at last year’s prestigious event run by TheBusinessDesk.com, which was attended by around 350 people.

CEO of Southerns, Andrew Kendall-Jones, said: “Winning a Masters Award not only helps to build your corporate profile, especially if your company is similar to Southerns and is aiming to disrupt the market with a new approach. But it also helps to boost employee morale, as well as acting as a valuable sales tool.”

This year’s awards evening will be held on Thursday 26 April, 6pm onwards, at The Queens Hotel in Leeds. Two new awards have been added to the programme this year – Innovation and Turnaround. Altogether, businesses can enter into up to 12 awards categories and entries are already coming in thick and fast.

The headline sponsor for this year’s event is Hitachi Capital. Awards sponsors are Clarion, Rahman Ravelli Solicitors and Together Money. Drinks are sponsored by Network Marketing and the Toast Sponsor is Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery.

Our judging panel this year, tasked with the hard job of judging from the five firms shortlisted in each category, consists of well-known business leaders from across Yorkshire.

Professor George Lodorfos

Professor George Lodorfos of Leeds Beckett University and Dean of the Leeds Business School, joins this year’s judging panel. He has 16 years of experience as senior academic in entrepreneurship and the strategic management of technology and innovation.

Professor Lodorfos said: “I am looking forward to using academic and industry knowledge to assess every entry, and in particular to celebrate the achievements and successes of businesses in our region.”

Lodorfos joins Ken Cooke, the Master Cutler of Sheffield, on this year’s prestigious judging panel. Cooke, a former

Ken Cooke

steel business owner and Sheffield Wednesday board member, was installed into his position of Master Cutler in October.

Cooke is focusing on education, training and apprenticeships during his tenure as Master Cutler and is pleased to join the board of judges.

Former winner of the Business Masters Award in the large business category, TheBigWord’s deputy CEO Diane Cheesbrough has become a judge this year. She said: “Personally I was honoured to be asked to join the judging panel for the Business Masters. I’m really looking forward to learning about great businesses across Yorkshire, so I’m hoping that even more businesses enter the awards this year.”

Entries should be submitted online and need to be received before 5pm on Friday February 2.